Campbell County EMS launches new rapid response unit

TOP PHOTO:  Campbell County’s Rapid Response Unit makes an emergency run on Friday afternoon.

By Charlotte Underwood

LAFOLLETTE, TN (WLAF) – The Campbell County Emergency Medical Service has added a new Advance Life Support Intercept unit to its fleet of emergency vehicles.

The Campbell County Ambulance Service has added an Advance Life Support Intercept Unit for rapid response to medical emergencies.

This addition of a rapid response vehicle will allow the ambulance service to “better serve the citizens of Campbell County,”  according to EMS Director Bruce Perkins.

The EMS has fully outfitted an SUV to be driven by shift leaders to provide a rapid response should ambulances be tied up on other calls.  Campbell County is the first one in the Region 2 EMS District to implement the program.  The ambulance service tried the program out two weeks ago for a two day trial, and “it went very well,” Perkins said.  The ambulance used is a SUV already in the department and was outfitted for response to medical emergencies.

Having the extra unit on the road will allow shift leaders to respond to emergencies quickly and begin providing advanced life support for the patient. This quick response can often mean the difference between life and death, according to EMS shift Captain Daniel Dorraugh. During the two-day trial, Dorraugh responded to a drug overdose where he arrived four minutes sooner than the ambulance and was able to provide life support and save the patient.

The SUV has been equipped as a mini ambulance to provide life support services in medical emergencies.

Implementing the program has been a combined effort between Perkins, the leadership management teams and EMS employees.

“It’s something we’ve wanted to do for a while,” Perkins said. The whole team has spent the last nine weeks working out the details of the program.

“We have an amazing leadership team that worked on this. Our goal with this program is to provide better service to the citizens; to preserve life if at all possible during an emergency,” Perkins said.

The ambulance service covers around 500 square miles in the county of about 40,000 people. According to Perkins, the extra unit will be a “life saver” in many situations.

The ALSI unit will be manned by EMS shift leaders, who have over 110 years of experience among them.  All shift leaders have 20-plus years experience.

According to EMS Committee member and County Commissioner Rusty Orick, the rapid response program is “the most exciting thing to come to the EMS committee” during his 14-year tenure.

(Left to right)  Campbell County EMS Captain Daniel Dorraugh, Capt. Barney Bates and Director Bruce Perkins.

Stripes and identification were painted onto the SUV on Wednesday evening.  The vehicle is outfitted with pediatric jump bags, ALS jump bags, oxygen and other life saving medical equipment.  Basically, it’s a “mini-ambulance.”

“It’s been fully outfitted so the paramedics can take care of most any situation until the full ambulance arrives,” Perkins said.  (WLAF NEWS PUBLISHED – 08/17/2020-6AM-PHOTOS COURTESY OF WLAF’S CHARLOTTE UNDERWOOD)